Thursday, February 15, 2007

Guinea pig trouble and love

The weekend was primarily marked by worrying about Bunny, our guinea pig. He was behaving very oddly, seeming unable to find his food, and lolling about. Needless to say that when we took him to the vet, on Monday, she could find nothing wrong with him. He now seems to be much more himself, but we think that maybe he doesn’t see very well. He is now happily munching through some very up-market hay we bought him on Tuesday.

After we’d taken Bunny to the vet on Monday we had a little window of time all in the house. Pearlie and I played a very long game of Uno, and then I read some of Eragon to Leo. He is reading the odd chapter to himself but it is a bit daunting for him to tackle the whole book. Dani had some frustrating conversations with train people, who couldn’t seem to give her any clear answers about our proposed Easter trip to Edinburgh. She finally bought the tickets today.

On Tuesday the kids and I pottered about and then I took them to town as I had some valentine’s related shopping to do. Leo finds it very challenging to cope with shopping that doesn’t involve him, so we had to do some negotiation in volving iced doughnuts and Doctor Who cards!

Pearlie and I had a good game of Dice Words – a Christmas present to me from my mum. It is a bit like scrabble but without the need for a board, so I can see it being very useful on train journeys.

Both P and L have been very busy with their own projects this week. Both kids are writing a lot at the moment, sending emails (mainly to each other), writing notes for local cousins, drawing, and playing with magnetic poetry.

We have a full house tonight – cousins S and D are sleeping over – and tomorrow there is a planned cousins trip to the cinema to see Charlotte’s Web with my mum. It’s funny how half term has such an impact on us – all our groups are off and it feels like ‘holiday time’!

We’re listening to my valentine’s pressie from D – ‘Lover’s Speak’ by Joan Armatrading. I was a massive Joan fan in my teen years and have a complete vinyl collection of all the 1970s and 1980s albums. But then children and lack of surplus cash meant that I stopped buying music much. So this is a lovely treat. My mum has bought us tickets to see her live next month. I guess I must have seen her live four or five times over the years – the first as a very excited fourteen year old. This time I think I won’t hang around the stage door and nearly get decked by a massive bouncer when trying to kiss the great woman. In my defence I was nineteen and a little bit pissed (though that could have been just hormones!)

Dani is sitting here punching holes in bits of paper because I bought her a filofax for valentine’s day. It isn’t the most romantic of presents but she loves stationery and I love her.

Seventeen years ago I sent her a valentine via a friend in another city – just to cover my tracks. By the next year we were an official couple. And now here we are with our great big, wonderful kids – and every day I know how lucky I am. I hope we’ll be sitting here in another twenty, thirty, forty years…

4 comments:

Our half term is protracted as we had no MM this week and have gotten together with friends from East Sussex who are usually at school - and been effected by the crowds of children everywhere, but half term here is actually not until next week so all of D's evening groups are off for next week instead.